Bicycle transporter

ABSTRACT

An Apparatus for towing up to two bicycles with another bicycle when the first bicycle is also towing a baby jogging cart or, alternately, a bicycle trailer of trail-a-bike. Particularly useful for exercising a child (or two children) and allowing her to ride a bike until tired, and then towing the child bike while she rest in the jogging cart, the apparatus comprises a bracket assembly which is removable mounted on the rear wheel support structure of the towing bicycle. The bracket assembly comprises a hitch pin which is removable attached by a flexible connector to the to the towing arm. The latter is connected to the front of the jogging cart and its undercarriage. Prior to towing the child&#39;s or children&#39;s bicycle(s) one turns its front wheel approximately 90 degrees. There are provided two locations for mounting the bicycles: the first one between the rear axle and the back of the jogging cart&#39;s seat and the other is a wheel carrier behind the rear axle of the jogging cart. Straps hold the wheels of the towed bicycles and their handle bars to the jogging cart&#39;s axle and handle, respectively. In this position, the handlebar stem

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This is a continuation-in-part-application of the U.S. patentapplication having Ser. No. 10/104,435, filed Mar. 22, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention is an improvement on the inventor'sprevious patent having the same title. There are several improvementsthat are disclosed herein: A bracket was added on the axle of thebaby-jogging cart to allow more than one bicycle to be held even if thebicycles are different sizes. A second improvement is that the handle ofthe jogging cart was modified so that it could be opened allowing accessfor the towed bicycles' handlebars. Additionally, the handle was madeflexible to allow rear wheel movement over rough terrain. The wheel ofthe jogging cart was reduced in size to allow for adult-sized bike to betowed and this modification increased stability on turns. The towing armwas modified so that it could be attached to either side of the bicycle.Transporter can now be indexed so left or right wheel can line up withtowing bike wheels. Further stability was gained by lowering theposition of the flexible coupling with respect to the towing bike frame.These improvements can benefit all bike trailers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus fortransporting at least one bicycle behind another bicycle. Such anapparatus is particularly useful for occasions in which one bicyclistwishes to travel a shorter distance or take only a one-way trip and herpartner is willing to assume the responsibility for towing her bicyclefor the rest of the trip.

[0004] A further object of the present invention is to provide apedal-powered bicycle transporter which can be used even if the child'sbicycle has training wheels, thereby allowing it to serve for a longtime as tool to motivate both the adult and child to enjoy a funexercise together. The transporter provides a means to take children toschool carrying the backpacks in the passenger area one way then carryempty bikes on return trip.

[0005] In accordance with the present invention, the apparatus comprisesa baby-jogging cart equipped with a special adapter which allows it tobe used as a trailer behind a bicycle. With this combination, an adultcan exercise with a child, while the child gains confidence and staminawith her own bicycle. Once the child becomes tired, she can rest in thejogging cart, or trailer, while the adult, using the present invention,continues ride towing both her and her bicycle(s).

[0006] With the special adapter, a standard jogging cart can be towedbehind a bicycle, with only a slight modification of the jogging cartand without modification to the towing bicycle. Rather, the specialadapter includes a mounting bracket which, in use, is bolted or clampedonto the rear wheel support frame of the towing bicycle, near its rearaxle. The mounting bracket comprises two meshing flange plates which areheld in assembled relation by a single bolt having an enlarged nut. Thisnut is easily tightened without the use of tools.

[0007] Also included in the special adapter are a hitch pin mounted onone of the flange plates, a towing arm, and a flexible member forconnecting the hitch pin thereto. The flexible member, which ispreferably a short section of flexible hose, is held in place on thehitch pin by a clamp. In addition, a safety strap fastened to the towingarm is secured to the frame of the towing bicycle.

[0008] Distal from the towing bicycle, the towing arm is attached to thejogging cart from where its front wheel has been temporarily removed.Means for holding the towing arm and the jogging cart in assembledrelation comprises a spacer, a first bolt which is insertable therein, apair of second bolts which protrude downwardly from the undercarriage ofthe cart seat, and winged nuts for threadedly engaging the first andsecond bolts. The spacer accounts for the difference in width betweenthe towing bar and the front wheel of the jogging cart. The winged nutsallow for ease of installation and removal.

[0009] In use, one bicycle is towed with its front wheel turned andlifted and placed forward of rear axle, and aft of its verticalsupports. This front wheel centers itself, due to its curvature, betweenthe trailer wheels by resting on the two frame members. In essence thisframe forms a wheel carrier. In practice a special wheel carrier bracketwill be necessary for many trailer configurations to tow even a singlebicycle. The handlebar of towed bike is then strapped to cart handle forvertical support and second strap holds wheel next to axle.

[0010] For towing second or more bicycles, a special wheel carrierbracket attached to the axle or back of the jogging cart. Means fortemporarily securing the second bicycle to the rear of the cart includefirst and second straps, wheel carrier bracket and a support handle. Thefirst strap confines the rim of the towed bike wheel within the wheelcarrier bracket, the second strap limits the movement of the bicyclehandle bars relative to the handle of the jogging cart.

[0011] With the front wheel of the towed bicycle so positioned, itssteering post bearing facilitates turning movements. Also, the backwheel of the bicycle is free to move up or down so that it can rolleasily over any roughness in the road. Further, the towed bike is freeto lean as it goes around curves, shortening the turning radius.

[0012] The bicycle transporter according to the present invention can beused in combination with a wide variety of baby jogging cart models.Among these models are the Easy Strider (R) manufactured by Huffy (U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,029,891, D315885) and a stroller/jogger from Instep (U.S.Pat. No. 5,029,891). Alternately, the bicycle transporter can be used incombination with currently marketed bicycle trailers and trail-a-bikedesigns.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective overview of the bicycle transporteraccording to the present invention, in use towing two bicycles;

[0014]FIGS. 2 and 3 are side perspective rearward perspective views,respectively, of the bicycle transporter according to FIG. 1, showingthe bicycle's wheel in the wheel carrier and handle supporter andfragmentary portions of a jogging cart and a towed bicycle mountedthereon;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the bicycle transporteraccording to FIG. 1, showing bicycles handles bars being attached to thejogging cart handle and fragmentary portions of the jogging cart and twotowed bicycles mounted thereon;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bicycle transporter accordingto FIG. 1, showing the jogging cart handle in the open position readyfor the bicycle's handlebar to be inserted, 0along with first and secondstraps used to secure the bicycles' handlebars and fragmentary portionsof the jogging cart;

[0017]FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the bicycle wheel carrierinstalled and fragmentary portions of the jogging cart:

[0018]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the disassembled parts of thebicycle wheel carrier:

[0019]FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of a fragmentary portion of thebicycle transporter according to FIG. 1, showing the towing arm in boththe left hand (solid line) and the right hand (dashed line) towingposition, as well as the undercarriage of the jogging cart to which thetowing arm is attached;

[0020]FIG. 9 is a top plan view of two meshing flange plates which, wheninterlocked, comprise the mounting bracket in the bicycle transporteraccording to FIG. 1;

[0021]FIG. 10 is a exploded view of the mounting assembly andfragmentary portions of the flexible member in the bicycle transporteraccording to FIG. 1;

[0022]FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting bracketassembly, according to FIG. 10;

[0023]FIGS. 12 and 14 are side elevation views of a fragmentary portionof a bicycle having a quick disconnect rear wheel and a standardbolted-on rear wheel, respectively, on which the bicycle transporter(not shown) according to FIG. 1 can be mounted; and

[0024]FIGS. 13 and 15 are perspective views of the mounting bracketassembly and a fragmentary portion of the flexible member in the bicycletransporter according to FIG. 1, the mounting bracket assembly beingshown secured to the frame of the bicycle shown, as a fragment, in FIGS.12 and 14, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0025] In the drawings, a bicycle transporter according to the presentinvention includes a towing arm 30 and a mounting bracket assembly.Distal ends of the towing arm 30 are connected to the rear wheel of afirst bicycle 2 and to a baby jogging cart 3, on the rear of which issecured towed bicycles 4, 5 (FIG. 1).

[0026] The mounting bracket assembly comprises two meshing flange plates32, 33 which define central aperture 34 and end hole 36, respectively,and a hitch pin 44 (FIGS. 6, 7 and 8). The hitch pin 44 includes a bolt35 which is held in place within an end aperture 40 defined by thelonger flange plate 32 by a series of nuts and washers.

[0027] Once the flange plates 32, 33 have been coupled, they areinstalled on the first bicycle 2, which can have a quick disconnect rearwheel as shown prior to and post installation in FIGS. 12 and 13,respectively. Alternately, the meshing flange plates 32, 33 can bemounted on a bicycle having a standard bolted-on rear wheel (FIGS. 14and 15).

[0028] To install the mounting bracket assembly, one positions longerflange plate 32, with the shorter plate 33 coupled thereto, inside therear wheel support structure of the bicycle 2. Shorter flange plate 32is then moved into such a position that bolt 35 can be simultaneouslyretained within center aperture 34 and inserted into end hole 36 (FIGS.10, 11 and 9). Means for retaining the flange plates 32, 33 and bolt 35in assembled relation, clamped to the rear wheel support structure,comprises a nut 37 having a large handle head. Preferably, the flangeplates 32, 33 are also provided with pads 38, 39 to protect the finishon the bicycle frame (FIGS. 10, 11).

[0029] Means for securing the towing arm 30 to the mounting bracketassembly comprises a flexible connector 45 attached at its distal endsto the hitch pin 44 and to the towing arm, respectively (FIGS. 10 and8). A clamp 46 is used to hold the flexible connector 45 in place on thehitch pin 44 (FIGS. 6, 11, 13). In the preferred embodiment, theflexible connector 45 is a hose which measures, by way of example, 1inch in diameter and 10 inches long. In addition, distal ends of a firstsafety strap 49 are attached to the towing arm 30 and to the rear wheelsupport structure (FIGS. 13 and 15).

[0030] Shaped roughly in the form of a large imaginary question mark,the towing arm 30 defines an arcuate front section which allows thetowed jogging cart 3 to be centered behind the rear wheel of the towingbicycle 2 (FIG. 8). Rearwardly of the arcuate front section, the towingarm 30 is attached to the front wheel mount of the jogging cart 3 with abolt, threadedly engageble with a wing nut 48, and a spacer 47 (FIG. 8).Means for attaching the towing arm 30 to the undercarriage of the babyjogging cart include two bolts which protrude downwardly therefrom andwinged nuts 9, 10 for threadedly engaging them.

[0031] The bicycle wheel carrier 54 is comprised of a long bracket 55and a short bracket 56 and fasteners 57, 58 and 59 as shown disassembledon FIG. 7 and installed on the axle 7 and axle support 8 of the joggingcart 3 as shown on FIG. 6. The transporter is now ready for receivingthe towed bicycle 5.

[0032] The procedure for securing the towed bicycles 4 and 5 to the rearof the jogging cart 3 as follows: The front wheel 6 of large bicycle 5is turned approximately 90 degrees and placed in front of the cart'srear axle 7 (FIGS. 1, 2, 3). A quick opening strap 21 is then insertedthrough the spokes and secured around both the rim of wheel 6 and theaxle 7. Next the handle 50 of the jogging cart 3 is opened as shown inFIG. 5 and the handlebar stem of bicycle 5 is placed under the handle 50as shown in FIG. 4 and the handle 50 is closed using fastener 52, then aband having quick opening and closure is wrapped around handlebar stemwhich keeps the bicycle 5 in vertically normally upright position. Nextthe smaller bicycle 4 has its front wheel 52 turned 90 degrees andplaced in the bicycle in wheel carrier 54 and strap 22 fastens the wheelinto the wheel carrier. A strap 53 is then fastened around the handlebarof bicycle 4 and the carts handle 50. The two bikes are now vertical andready to be towed. The towed bicycles 4, 5 can be mounted on or removedfrom the transporter in an interval less than one minute.

[0033] In operation, the bicycle transporter according to the presentinvention allows the bicyclist to tow the jogging cart 3 and bicycles 4,5 in tandem or individually, even over rough roads and curbs. With itsmechanism for mounting the towed bicycle(s) 4 and 5, the biketransporter can be utilized even while a child reclines in the seat ofthe baby jogging cart 3 and her bicycle 4 or 5 is being towed.

[0034] It is understood that those skilled in the art may conceive otherapplications, modifications and/or changes in the invention describedabove. Any such applications, modifications or changes which fall withinthe purview of the description are intended to be illustrative and notintended to be limitative. The scope of the invention is limited only bythe scope of the claims appended hereto.

It is claimed:
 1. An apparatus for towing a second bicycle with a firstbicycle, the first bicycle having a rear wheel support structure,comprising: (a) a baby jogging cart having a handle, a seat, a rearaxle, and front wheel support forks; the jogging cart having its frontwheel removed; (b) a towing means, including a bracket assembly and atowing arm, for pulling the baby jogging cart behind the first bicycle,the bracket assembly being removably mounted on the rear wheel supportstructure of the first bicycle, the bracket assembly being removablymounted on the rear wheel support structure of the first bicycle, thetowing arm extending rearwardly from the first bicycle and beingfastened to the front wheel support forks of the jogging cart; and (c)means, including at least one flexible strap for holding the front wheelof the second bicycle near the rear axle of the jogging cart and atleast one flexible strap for attaching the handle bar of the secondbicycle to the handle of the jogging cart, for towing the second bicycleso that the second bicycle with its front wheel held in a position inwhich it is turned approximately 90 degrees and held near the rear axleof the jogging cart.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which thebracket assembly further comprises two flange plates which are movablycoupled together and means, including a bolt and nut for threadedlyengaging the bolt, for holding the flange plates in assembled relationwhen they are clamped around a portion of the rear wheel supportstructure.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 which further comprisesa hitch pin mounted on the bracket assembly and extending at generallyparallel to the rotational axis of the rear wheel of the first bicycle,means, including a flexible connector attached to the hitch pin, forattaching the towing arm to the bracket assembly.
 4. The apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein the means for towing the second bicyclefurther comprises a wheel carrier which is supported by the rear axle ofthe jogging cart, the wheel carrier holding the front wheel of thesecond bicycle when it is turned at an angle of approximately 90degrees.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means fortowing the second bicycle further comprises, means for placing thehandle bar of the second bicycle under the handle of the jogging cartand attaching the second bicycle in this position by at least oneflexible strap to hold the bicycle in this position.
 6. The means forplacing the handle bar of the second bike under the handle of thejogging cart according to claim 5, comprises a means of temporarilyremoving the handle of the jogging cart, then placing the second bicyclehandlebars through the opening thus formed and then replacing the handleof the jogging cart;
 7. The handle of the jogging cart according toclaim 6 further comprises that the handlebars be made of a flexiblematerial, so that it will aid in the cornering of the towed bicycles; 8.An apparatus for towing two bicycles behind a trailer, the trailerhaving a rear axle and defining a first space between the front of therear axle and the body of the trailer and further defining a secondspace behind the rear axle, the first and second spaces each being ofsufficient size to hold the front wheel of at least one of the bicycles,which comprises: means for holding the first front wheel of at least oneof the bicycles, which comprises: (a) means for holding the front wheelof the first bicycle in such a way that the rear wheel of the firstbicycle is free to ride on the road behind the trailer; and (b) meansfor holding the front wheel of the second bicycle in the second space insuch a way that the rear wheel of the second bicycle is free to ride onthe road behind the trailer; the front wheel of each bicycle beingdisposed, during towing, generally at an acute angle to the longitudinalcenterline of the frame of its respective bicycle.
 9. The apparatus fortowing two bicycles behind a trailer according to claim 8, wherein Themeans for holding the front wheel of the first bicycle in the firstspace including a holder which defines a narrow slot having a widthwhich is slightly greater than the width of the rim of the front wheelof the first bicycle.
 10. The apparatus for towing two bicycles behind atrailer according to claim 8, wherein the means for holding the frontwheel of the second bicycle in the second space including a holder whichdefines a narrow slot having a width which is slightly greater than thewidth of the rim of the front wheel of the second bicycle.
 11. A bicycletowing apparatus attachment for a vehicle comprising of a holderdefining a narrow slot having a width slightly greater than the width ofthe rim of the front wheel of the bicycle and the bicycle to be held insuch a way that its front wheel is generally disposed at an acute angleto the longitudinal centerline of its frame and its rear wheel is freeto ride on the road behind the vehicle.